Digital Commons Network^™

Valproic Acid: A Neural Outgrowth Model For The Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hannah M. Bergan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Autism spectrum disorder has been dramatically on the rise since the early 1990s, with one in forty-five children being diagnosed in 2014. It is known that contributing factors to autism spectrum disorder may have genetic and epigenetic origins, as well as environmental triggers. What is still unclear, however, is the impact of teratogenic drugs, consumed by the mother, have on a developing fetus in utero. How can they lead to the child developing autistic-like behaviors? The current study documents the effects of one teratogenic drug Valproic acid, a known histone deacetylase inhibitor. It establishes the role it plays on developing …

The Power Of Team In Iep Meetings, Caroline Elser

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine school-family collaboration for students with disabilities by exploring how communication during Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings supports or limits parental participation. Research has indicated strong school-family partnerships lead to better educational outcomes for students. The IEP meeting is a critical component of the educational process for a child with a disability. The interactions between parents and school personnel during IEP meetings are complex events that can leave parents feeling frustrated or uninvolved in their child’s education. This qualitative study examined one IEP team meeting through in-depth interviews, participant observation of an IEP …

Food Insecurity And The Elder Male: Exploring The Gap From Needing Food To The Utilization Of Assistance Programs, Gale Carlson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the qualitative study was to explore the relationship between the male elder’s experience of food insecurity and the utilization of food assistance programs. Particular emphasis was placed on the meaning the men ascribe to their experiences in accessing food. In the review of the literature, the determinants of food insecurity, especially for the elder male population, were identified as having important implications for fulfilling food needs. Additionally, distinct characteristics of men, along with how they view their needs, surfaced as impacting their food insecurity. This study utilized participant observation and in-depth interviews with five elder men who …

Afro Culture And Performance Within The Bar Space, Jessany Maldonado

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this thesis, I engaged in an ethnographic study of a predominantly Afro social space, specifically the bar setting. Utilizing authoethnobiographical and critical ethnographic methods, I established rapport with participants in order to learn the dynamics of their communication performances within the space of the bar. I explored the ways that Afro folk communicatively (re)established the Afro bar as a location of discursive performances and practices out of the dominant public gaze, indicative of a counterpublic (enclave) space.

My thesis sought to address two research questions. First, I wanted to know what communicative practices characterize Afro bar culture. In addressing …

Career Development And Trajectories: Women In Senior-Level Management Positions In Nonprofit Organizations And Government Agencies, Jennifer Diane Stevens

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Lighting the way for women today, pioneers like Jane Addams and others have helped women make gallant strides in the field of human and leisure services for the past 50 years. These women took necessary steps towards equality, which ultimately led to changes in attitudes of women, attitudes towards women, and gender roles. Women now make up half of the workforce and are accepted in all sectors today.

However, inequality still exists through transparent barriers that keep women from advancing to senior-level management and decision-making positions. Elements such as family, education, and organizational and personal factors can positively or negatively …

Iowa Journal Of Communication, Volume 49, Number 1, Fall 2017 [Download Entire Issue]

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

The Dyadic Influence Of Attachment And Affection On Relationship Satisfaction, Gemme M. Campbell, Grace Ellen Brannon, Emily A. Rauscher, Colin Hesse, Sara L. Trask

Iowa Journal of Communication

Using affection exchange theory, this study proposed a mediating model between attachment style, affectionate communication, and relationship satisfaction. This dyadic model used marital couples to test actor and partner effects. Overall, results supported the predicted model, including several significant indirect effects. Specifically, affection mediated the relationships between anxious attachment for wives and relationship satisfaction for both wives and husbands. Affection also mediated the relationship between anxious attachment for husbands and husband relationship satisfaction. Affection also mediated the relationship between avoidant attachment for wives and wife relationship satisfaction, as well as between avoidant attachment for husbands and husband relationship satisfaction. Additionally, …

Haunted By The Past: Examining The Breakup Story Through Duck's Dissolution Model, Sara L. Trask

Iowa Journal of Communication

After a breakup, individuals are often haunted by the presence of their past relationships, making relationship termination one of the most emotionally painful events that individuals throughout their lifetime (Sprecher, Felmlee, Metts, Fehr, & Vanni, 1998). Some individuals even go as far to believe that relationship termination is like experiencing the death of one they loved (Emery, 2004). Using three of the five processes of Duck's Dissolution Model (DDM) (1982; 2005), this study examined what individuals' breakup stories reveal about their ability to adjust after a breakup has occurred. The study interviewed 18 individuals who shared their personal stories of …

Knapp's Model Of Relational Development In The Digital Age, Robert L. Duran, Lynne Kelly

Iowa Journal of Communication

The purpose of this study was to re-examine Knapp's (1978) model of the stages of relationship development to identify the ways in which communication technologies are used within those stages as romantic relationships progress. The goal was to incorporate technological activities into the descriptions of Knapp's stages of relational growth to better reflect how college students conduct their romantic relationships. Undergraduate students (N = 251) completed a survey, including a measure of their relationship stage (Welch & Rubin, 2002) as well as measures of their uses of Facebook, texting, and cell phone calling in the context of the relationship. Results …

Review Of Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise Of Astro-Blackness, Toniesha L. Taylor

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Review Of Contemporary Studies Of Sexuality & Communication: Theoretical And Applied Perspectives, Valerie Peterson

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Regime Shifts And Panarchies In Regional Scale Social-Ecological Water Systems, Lance Gunderson, Barbara A. Cosens, Brian C. Chaffin, Craig A. (Tony) Arnold, Alexander K. Fremier, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Robin Kundis Craig, Hannah Gosnell, Hannah E. Birge, Craig R. Allen, Melinda H. Benson, Ryan R. Morrison, Mark C. Stone, Joseph A. Hamm, Kristine Nemec, Edella Schlager, Dagmar Llewellyn

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

In this article we summarize histories of nonlinear, complex interactions among societal, legal, and ecosystem dynamics in six North American water basins, as they respond to changing climate. These case studies were chosen to explore the conditions for emergence of adaptive governance in heavily regulated and developed social-ecological systems nested within a hierarchical governmental system. We summarize resilience assessments conducted in each system to provide a synthesis and reference by the other articles in this special feature. We also present a general framework used to evaluate the interactions between society and ecosystem regimes and the governance regimes chosen to mediate …

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2016/2017, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Definitions
--- Some Comparisons
--- Annual Report Data
--- Summary of Attendance
--- Attendance by Session
--- Degrees Granted 2016/17
--- Degree Summary 2016/17
--- Program Certificates 2016/17
--- Miscellaneous Enrollment Information
--- Degrees Granted by College, Degree and Racial/Ethnic Classification

Faculty Tenure Report, Fall 2017, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of Institutional Research And Effectiveness.

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Statistical report showing the number of faculty that are tenured, on the tenure track, or not on the tenure track, broken down by college, department, gender, minority status, and if full or part time.

Creating Digital Displays Of Grief: Appropriateness, Relationality, And Mourning Loss, Jenna L. Currie-Mueller, Kay M. Beckermann, Adam J. Copeland, Gunther-Michael Jahnl

Iowa Journal of Communication

More than half of enrolled college students experience a significant loss during their education. When coping with loss, students may turn to social media to express grief This study explored how college students participate in communicating loss online and how students perceive grief expressions and mourning messages of others on social media. Data was collected through virtual focus group interviews with 26 participants and analyzed using eclectic and pattern coding (Saldana, 2013). Results indicate participants perceived online mourning as either appropriate or inappropriate based on relational tie, channel, and perceived authenticity of the other's communication. When observing others' grief, participants …

Review Of Intercultural Communication In Japan: Theorizing Homogenizing Discourse, Albert Rintrona Iii

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Using Blended Learning To Improve Undergraduate Introduction To Literature Courses: A Mixed Methods Approach, Julie Leigh Klein

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Blended learning is being used more and more in higher education. However, for humanities and other loosely content structured areas, blended learning can be challenging. It has generally been reserved for subject areas such as computer programing, mathematics, business, science, and statistics--courses where competence is commonly assessed by administering work on which performance is either right or wrong. Furthermore, agreement has not yet been reached on how to best incorporate the face-to-face and online teaching resources. This study examines one approach of implementing web-based instruction to improve undergraduate Introduction to Literature courses at a midsized Midwestern university.

This study was …

Education Summit 2017 [Program], University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Education.

Education Summit Programs

Program for the 2017 UNI Education Summit

Perceptions Of Transgender Populations: An Educational Module To Increase Knowledge And Reduce Negative Attitudes, Dacia Kay Oberhelman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Individuals who identify as transgender experience subtle and direct forms of negative attitudes and discrimination. These attitudes and discrimination remain despite the large improvement in attitudes toward sexual minorities over the last few decades. Recent research related to transgender populations largely focuses on examining the existing attitudes, rather than attempts to reduce these negative attitudes. In the current study, we aimed to increase knowledge about transgender populations and reduce negative attitudes (e.g., Social Distance, Negative Affective, and Attitudes Toward Transgender Populations) by employing an online psychoeducational intervention module. This study assessed a 25-minute online psychoeducational module designed to increase knowledge …

Aquatic Managers Of Northeast Iowa : A Description Of Current Practices Of Staff Training And Implementation Detailing Competencies, Frequency, And Evaluation, Tracy N. Carey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe how aquatic managers implement aquatic staff training and development. According to the American Society for Training and Development, U.S. organizations spend more than $50 billion annually on employee training. Organizations place an important emphasis on training and development for their employees. Aquatic facilities play an important role in the communities they serve. Operating an aquatic facility has become increasingly more complex in recent years due to new technology with filtration systems, differentiating certifications and facility regulations.

Therefore, aquatic managers must ensure their lifeguards are capable and competent of doing everything …

Art-Integration Through Making Dioramas Of Women Mathematicians’ Lives Enhances Creativity And Motivation, Audrey C. Rule, Dana L. Atwood-Blaine, Clayton M. Edwards, Mindy M. Gordon

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

Creativity is essential for solving problems in the workplace, natural environment, and everyday life, necessitating that creativity be nurtured in schools. Identification of factors that intrinsically motivate students to learn difficult or initially unappealing content is also important. This project, in which 24 racially diverse fifth grade girls created dioramas of the lives of diverse successful women mathematicians, explored the girls’ reactions to art integration into mathematics through a phenomenological qualitative analysis of their products, essays, and responses to questionnaires. The project supported the Next Generation Science Standard for engineering design, Standard 3-5-ETS1-1 and two National Core Arts Standards for …

Three- And Four-Year Olds Learn About Gears Through Arts Incorporation, Dessy Stoycheva, Leann M. Perkins

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This research paper explores art integration into a science lesson unit that follows the Next Generation Science Standards (K-PS2-1) and focuses on the effects on memory retention of key concepts along with levels of enjoyment. An experiment was conducted with children ages 3 and 4 teaching scientific concepts about gears while incorporating student-made art products. The children were assigned to alternating experimental (art-integrated) or control (no art) conditions during the four stages of the lesson. The results did not show statistically significant differences at the alpha = 0.05 level between conditions in the amount of information retained based on the …

Spatial Thinking Skills And Stem Connections: How Does This Issue Address Them?, Audrey C. Rule

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

In this editorial, the Editor considered the importance of spatial thinking skills to STEM careers, provided examples of ways scientists use spatial thinking, noted sex and socioeconomic differences in spatial skill proficiency, and reviewed ways that activities included in articles in this issue involved spatial thinking. Brief summaries and preview images were provided for the articles in the issue. The four-component spatial thinking classification scheme with categories of intrinsic-static, intrinsic-dynamic, extrinsic-static and extrinsic dynamic was applied to the activities from this issue of the Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions. All categories of this classification scheme were addressed, providing …

Fall Commencement [Program], December 17, 2016, University Of Northern Iowa.

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

Uni Grad Student News, V15n3, November/December 2016, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College.

UNI Grad Student News

Inside this Issue:

--Message From the Dean
--Spotlight Profiles: Faculty: Dr. Roberto Swazo, Student: Liudmyla Grygorchuk, Alumni: Michael Vogt
--Altrusa Scholarship Award Recipients: Aubrey Davis, Hailey Hatch, Bobbi Metcalf
--Clothesline Project
--2016 John R. Milton Writer's Conference
--Important Dates for Spring
--NASPA Conference
--Cedar Valley's Free Little Pantries
--Resume Writing Workshop
--Youth Academy Cafe

The Update, November-December 2016, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities, Arts And Sciences.

Update

Inside This Issue:
--CHAS Briefs
--Spotlight--Alumni Derek Miller
--Spotlight--Faculty Sade Barfield
--Women's and Gender Studies Clothesline Project
--Computer Science Sara Diesburg
--Featured Story--Heather Hamilton
--Spotlight--Alumni Amanda Chan
--Spotlight--Alumni Kelly Bahl
--Calendar of Events

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, October 24, 2016, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting Minutes from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa

Learning Form And Function By Dance-Dramatizing Cultural Legends To Drum Rhythms Wearing Student-Made Animal Masks, Phyllis Gray, Audrey C. Rule, Gloria Kirkland Holmes, Stephanie R. Logan, Andrea L. Alert, Cynthia A. Mason

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This study examined the self-efficacy in science, art, dance, and music; attitudes concerning contributions of people of various ethnic/cultural groups; and science learning of students involved in an after-school arts-integrated science enrichment project. Students dramatized three traditional animal legends from African, Native American, and Mexican cultures to drum beats while wearing student-made papier-mâché helmet crest masks of the animal characters. They learned the structure and functions of the featured animals through slide shows, embedded explanations in the play scripts, and hands-on form and function analogy materials that related the form and function of animal body parts to manufactured items. Although …

Third Graders Explore Sound Concepts Through Online Research Compared To Making Musical Instruments, Kyrie D. Borsay, Page Foss

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This study is an exploration of several lessons on sound taught to third grade students using one of the Next Generation Science Standards (3-5-ETS1) and arts integration. A counterbalanced, pretest- posttest- distal posttest design experiment was conducted to compare student knowledge and attitudes between the control and experimental conditions. Control activities included learning about either stringed or percussion instruments (whichever not addressed in the experimental condition) through online searches for information and writing a factual paragraph; experimental activities included creating a percussion or stringed instrument using classroom art materials purchased with an imaginary budget. One group experienced the experimental condition …

Shadow Puppet Plays In Elementary Science Methods Class Help Preservice Teachers Learn About Minority Scientists, Phyllis Gray, Audrey C. Rule, Anneliese Gentzsch, Denise Tallakson

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This practical article describes an arts-integrated project with engineering design and science concepts from the Next Generation Science Standards, art principles from the National Arts Standards, as well as ideas under the theme of “Culture” from the National Council for the Social Studies Standards. Preservice teachers in an undergraduate science methods class researched the background, life, and accomplishments of a minority scientist by reading books and articles about the person. They created a script to present the experiences and contributions of the scientist to other preservice teachers and, eventually, elementary students. Shadow puppets were constructed out of cardboard to portray …